Duality
by shielddrake42
Summary: Day versus Night.  Sun versus Moon.  Pink versus Purple.  Hedgehog versus Cat.  Boy, did Silver have a problem.  Requested by RikkuMcClowFox.  AmyXSilverXBlaze inside.  AU and spoilers for Sonic 06.  Also some OOCness which I normally try to avoid…sorry.


Disclaimer 1: I do not own the rights to the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise (or any video game franchise for that matter). I am not making any money off of using these characters.

Disclaimer 2: I do not own the rights to the character Rikku. She belongs to RikkuMcClowFox, and I am not making any money off of using her. I just hope I wrote her character right. (I am sorry if she isn't quite right. I never realized how hard it would be to write _someone else's_ fancharacter. Bah.)

A/N: This fic was requested by RikkuMcClowFox. She asked for a BlazeXSilverXAmy story, where Silver has to choose between the two. She also asked for a few more things, but I don't want to spoil it. Rikku, you know what you asked for. I didn't follow it exactly, but I'm sure you won't be disappointed by my changes.

_**Warning:**_ The following story contains spoilers for Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 (although the nature of this fic makes it AU). Of course, since the game has been out for about a year now I'm sure that anyone who's going to bother playing the game has done so in some way, and anyone who won't bother shouldn't be picky about spoilers anymore. But I felt I should put this here anyway just in case.

Enjoy!

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It was dusk in Soleanna. The sun was just starting to set behind the mountains, and the sky was transforming from a light blue to a deep orange, with red splattered about. The remaining sunlight gleamed against the metal, cement, and water of the city, reflecting it everywhere and giving the appearance that the City of Water was actually on fire. On any other day, one would assume that such a sight would mean that Iblis was about.

Silver smiled as he watched the sun from a rooftop, being careful to not look directly at it. Iblis was never going to run amok again. It had finally been defeated once and for all, along with the manipulator, Mephiles. Silver could still kick himself for being tricked into working for the enemy like that, though Knuckles and Shadow both reassured him that he wasn't the only one.

When he was honest with himself, the experiences of the past couple of days were a blur to Silver. He could recall a few events, such as the fights against Mephiles and Iblis, Eggman coming in at the last minute to assist (as he seemed to have a habit of doing), the discovery of the _real_ Iblis Trigger, and of course the showdown with the time monster Solaris. The actual details of all this was sparse in his mind, though.

That didn't really matter however. What was important was that they had been victorious, and the future (Silver and Blaze's present) had been saved.

Silver couldn't wait to see it! It was probably covered with green, the sun shining warmly during the day and the stars twinkling brightly at night. There would only be clouds in the sky when there was a storm, and water (not fire) would fall from the heavens. There would be beautiful fruits hanging from the tall, healthy trees, and clean water. Most importantly, the people would be happy! They would smile and laugh. Children would run around, playing, making as much noise as they wished without the threat of attracting Iblis hanging over their heads.

Silver sighed contentedly. It would be paradise.

"Silver?" A young voice called to him. Silver looked up from his spot on the roof of a building to see Amy Rose approaching him. He smiled and welcomed her over with a wave of his hand. She sat down next to him. "Watching the sunset again?"

"Of course," he replied happily. "What else would I be doing?"

Amy let out a giggle before a moment of silence settled in. She soon spoke again.

"Tails wanted me to tell you that he got Eggman's time machine working."

"Really?" he answered excitedly. "So Blaze and I can return to our time soon?"

"Tomorrow if you'd like," she confirmed.

Silver literally leapt from his seat, levitating in the air for a split second before returning to the ground. He was going home!

"I kind of…" Amy murmured once Silver's whoops for joy died down a little. "…wanted to walk to you about that."

He sat back down, noticing her unusually serious tone, though his smile remained.

"What is it?" he asked. She didn't answer immediately. "Amy?"

"What if I said I didn't want you to go back?"

Now his smile fell from his face. Not go back? Why would she suggest such a thing?

"I mean, if I asked you not to go," Amy continued, taking Silver's hand in her own. "Would you stay?"

Amy's hand felt warm in his; the sun was nothing in comparison. Amy smiled sadly at him, and suddenly Silver felt all that heat rush to his face.

"Why…do you ask?" Silver wondered, just barely able to keep his voice normal. Why was she looking at him like that?

"When you were fighting Mephiles, you had this look, on your face," she explained a little clumsily. "All righteous and gallant."

"Gallant?" repeated Silver. He scratched the back of his head. "I was just angry about how he played me for the fool."

"Still, you were very determined to right the wrong," she argued. Her own face started to turn red. "It was the same as when you and I first met."

"When you mistook me for Sonic?"

"Yeah. That expression makes you look very…" Amy trailed off, averting her gaze. "This is all wrong. I'm not saying this how I want…I'm not exactly sure how…"

Then it hit him. How oblivious was he? The looks, the hesitation, holding his hand…it was plain as day! Silver covered her hand with his uninhibited one.

"I think I understand what you mean," he said to her for comfort, squeezing her hand between his and grinning a bit. Amy returned the gesture. She looked as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Then, you won't mind if I do this," she said, all of her previous shyness vanishing as she leapt into his lap, wrapped her arms around his torso, and pressed her lips to his before he had a chance to react.

Silver's golden eyes widened in astonishment. Well, he didn't "mind" it, but he hadn't been expecting it. Then again this was Amy who was kissing him; he shouldn't be surprised that she would come right out and show what she wanted. Her openness was always appealing.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, his hands resting on her back, as he returned the kiss. It was fast and passionate, to the point when Silver worried about keeping up. The heat he was feeling before only intensified as Amy pulled herself closer to him. This was something new. Silver wasn't used to being this intimate with someone, except perhaps when Blaze had to grab his arm or hand when they were fighting Iblis. Having Amy this close was overloading his system.

Sadly, air is required for survival, and the two broke apart. Silver opened his eyes and looked at her, not realizing he had closed them during the kiss. Amy was panting a bit, her own eyes shut, and there was a distinct shade of pink on her muzzle. She kept her eyes closed as she spoke again.

"So you'll stay?" she pleaded in a whisper, resting her head on Silver's left shoulder. Silver didn't respond. He looked up from her towards the sun, which had completed its descent behind the mountains. "At least think about it?"

"…I will."

Amy gave him one last tight hug before standing. She was smiling brightly once again' Silver couldn't help but smile back.

"There's a party in town tonight, a sort of victory celebration," Amy informed him. "You'll be there, right?"

"Of course," Silver replied. Did she think he would skip something like that?

Amy gave him one last happy nod before leaving him to his thoughts.

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Silver quickly realized why Amy would be worried about him skipping the party: he despised crowds. Or was unused to them, at least.

There were just _too many people_! Everywhere he turned he bumped into someone. His face had been displayed on television and in newspapers, so dozens of people approached him, each wanting to thank him or congratulate him and shake his hand. The noise pounded in his ears so much that when he was asked to demonstrate his telekinesis he found it a little hard to concentrate.

Despite all this discomfort, Silver was glad. He contributed to the reason so many people were so happy. The threat was finally gone, and fort the first time Silver felt like a true hero.

The psychic eventually disentangled himself from the mobs and found himself in the company of his companions. Sonic and Tails sat at a table, eating and talking amenably. Knuckles, Shadow, and Rouge were at another table discussing something Silver couldn't hear. Princess Elise was sitting on a throne some distance away, but she was leaning forward so she could speak with Amy, who appeared to be so happy she had trouble keeping her feet on the ground. Blaze wasn't there…in fact Silver couldn't recall speaking directly with her since she blocked one of Iblis' attacks from hitting him, absorbing the fireball in the process. She had never been able to do before.

"Hey Silver!" Sonic yelled over the commotion. "Have a seat and some food!"

"And something to drink!" added Tails, quickly pouring some kind of liquid into a glass for him. "We've got—whoa!"

Tails yelped as one of his feet and one of his tails tangled in one of the table legs in his rush. The glass fell from his hand; Silver was quick enough to psychically catch it, freezing it in midair and guiding the liquid back into the glass. He grabbed it and took a gulp before smiling his thanks at the kitsune. Tails grinned back, as if the whole thing was just a regular occurrence.

"Oh, right, did Amy tell you I fixed the time machine?" Tails continued. "So you and Blaze can go home anytime."

"She did. Thanks."

"That reminds me. Blaze was looking for you," Sonic told him. "She asked me to tell you to meet her at the hills south of town."

"I was wondering where she was," Silver said as he finished his drink. "I'll go see her now. Thanks."

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The orange from the sunset had disappeared completely, replaced by the deep blue of the night sky. There were a few clouds, but not enough to fully hide the twinkling lights of the stars. Silver had always liked stars. What a discovery, to find out that such a beautiful sight was behind Iblis' fire clouds! It was something that had always been there, but that Silver had never seen or noticed before.

Silver spotted Blaze atop the tallest hill on the outskirts of Soleanna. She was standing with her arms crossed, showing her profile against the light provided by the full moon behind her. It hit her purple fur just so that she appeared to shimmer, similar to a ghost. Silver smiled as he approached her lithe form, and Blaze seemed to snap out of whatever she was contemplating.

"Sonic gave you my message," she said.

"Yes, he said you were looking for me," the hedgehog replied. "Something wrong?"

"No, I was just thinking about out time," Blaze answered. "What do you think it's like now?"

Silver closed his eyes, his smile widening as he recounted his previous thoughts on the subject to her. Blaze listened quietly as he described how he imagined the plant life, the sky, and of course the happy inhabitants would be like. The cat laughed softly as he finished.

"You're so naïve," she joked. The statement didn't phase Silver one bit; he had heard it so many times. "Everything won't be so perfect, you know."

"Of course I know. Every world is going to have some problems," Silver defended. That last comment on the other hand did hit home. "But after Iblis I think we can handle anything."

"'After Iblis'," she repeated, as if she had a hard time believing it to be true.

Blaze then did something a little unusual for her. She walked forward and enveloped Silver in a gentle hug, burying her face in his right shoulder. Silver froze for just a moment before returning the hug. It was a little awkward for him; not so much because of the hug as it was because he was being hugged _by Blaze_! Physical contact was not uncommon between the two (especially with Iblis around) but hugs were something far more intimate than anything before.

"Blaze?" he said after a pause.

"We did it, Silver," she responded, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's over."

"It's over," he confirmed, tightening his grip on her.

Silver released her as she began to pull away, but once Blaze lifted her head she grabbed his shoulders and kissed him. Silver was less surprised by this one, as he had seen her lean in, but he was no less shocked by the sensation he felt.

For someone who was cursed by fire, Blaze's kiss was relatively cool. Not cold by any means, but serene and deliberate. It was slow, but nothing if not passionate. Silver eagerly returned it, so full of emotion it made him shiver, and they remained together for a few minutes under the moonlight. When the two finally broke apart, Silver noticed that at some point they had fallen to their knees on the grassy hill. Blaze had the most contented grin on her face.

"I've wanted to do that for some time now," she admitted. Silver chuckled a little, and Blaze put her head back against his chest. "I'm looking forward to going home."

"So am I."

Silence, and then Blaze spoke again.

"We better return to town," she said, removing herself from the hedgehog and rising to her feet. "The Princess was planning to make an announcement of sorts. We better not miss it."

"I'll be right behind you," replied Silver, still sitting on the ground with his legs crossed. Blaze smiled at him one last time before heading off.

Silver sat, taking in one final look at the full moon, which he noticed was now partially covered by clouds. He stood and began walking back towards Soleanna. Blaze was right. He didn't want to miss Princess Elise's announcement, and the others were surely waiting for him. Blaze, Sonic, Tails, Amy—AMY!

He stopped, suddenly remembering his earlier encounter with Amy. Then he thought of the events with Blaze just minutes ago.

"Aww, dammit…"

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Silver ran a hand though his quills as he walked about the empty streets of Soleanna. Everyone else was in the main square at the party, leaving the rest of the city practically deserted. He could still hear the commotion nearby, but Silver decided that he needed some place quieter to think.

It wasn't even as if one was better than the other. Simply different.

On one hand there was Amy, a young, spunky pink hedgehog who always followed what her heart told her. Although she and Silver initially had a few differences in opinion, they still got along very well and had made a good team. Amy had a good sense of humor and a big smile that brightened up any situation.

On the other side of the spectrum was Blaze. She had been Silver's best friend and constant companion since he was a child. She had been cursed by Iblis' flames, but had never let it get in her way. She had a calm, logical approach to everything, and she always followed the path she believed was right.

Too deep in his thoughts to pay attention, Silver was quite surprised when he suddenly tripped over something and fell flat on his face. The "something" gave out a rather undignified "Ack!" as the two of them tumbled to the pavement. Silver moaned as he disentangled himself and saw what, or rather who, he had stumbled on.

She was a small fox, certainly younger than Amy but probably older than Tails. She had golden-yellow fur and intelligent hazel eyes that had an impish glint. She was shorter than Silver by a few inches. The hair on her head reached her shoulders and curled outward; a single bundle jutted out from her forehead (a little like Amy's did) which had a tip of white, as if it alone had been dipped in white paint. Her clothing consisted of a red halter top and black high-heeled boots, giving her ha little more height. Her lower half was covered by what looked like a black skirt, but was actually just a cover for the shorts underneath. Next to her on the ground lay a ruby red air board with red and yellow roses painted on.

Silver scrambled to his feet.

"I'm sorry!" he said, speaking a little quickly. "I didn't mean to bump into you. Didn't see you."

The fox gave a quirky laugh as she accepted his offered hand to help her up.

"It's okay," she replied. Even her voice had spunk to it. "I _was_ kind of randomly sitting in the middle of the street after all."

"What are you doing here?" Silver asked. "Shouldn't you be at the celebration?"

"I needed a place to think," the fox answered. "And, guessing by the fact you didn't see me, you were thinking too."

"Yes, I was," he said.

"What were you thinking about?" she inquired. Silver didn't respond, unsure about sharing such a personal problem. "Ah, I know. Can't talk about it with a stranger. Let's fix that then. I'm Rikku."

The young girl stuck her hand out in greetings. Silver slowly reached out and shook it. "I'm Silver."

"I know," Rikku told him. "I saw you fighting that Mephiles guy, and on the news."

"Yeah, I can't introduce myself anymore," Silver complained lightheartedly. "Everyone knows me before I meet them."

"I know the feeling. It happens when you hang around Sonic and his pals. So, what were you thinking about?" Rikku asked. He still gave a nervous expression. "I see. Girl trouble."

Silver's gaze snapped up to hers. "How'd you know?"

"I'm having love problems too," she admitted. She figured that if Silver was to talk about something private, she would return the gesture. "You wonder, what will happen? Will is last this time? Is it worth it?"

"Exactly," he said. "How do you know all this?"

"Experience," she replied. There a short pause. "You know Sonic. Do you know Tails too?"

"Of course. Sonic's best friend." _Despite the age difference_, Silver spoke and then added silently. He always smiled when he thought about it. An "Unbreakable Bond," Sonic had called it. "I've spoken with him a few times, but don't know him very well."

"I see."

"You and him?"

"Maybe. I'm working on it," Rikku said, suddenly feeling a little awkward. Time for a change of subject. "Well, enough about me. What're your girl problems?"

Silver hesitated for only a moment. Rikku did put her own feelings out there. Silver felt oddly comfortable doing the same for her.

"I've got two girl problems, actually," he explained.

"Oh that just makes it all better, huh?" Rikku joked. "Let me guess. A choice between the two, and chances are you won't be able to change your mind later?"

"My whole 'being from the future' issue, yes."

"Hmm. That is a tough one," the fox said, scratching her head slightly in thought. "Well, love is supposed to be something that can last. At least I believe it is. Can you picture yourself being with one or the other a few years from now?"

Silver dwelled on that. It was a good question. Closing his eyes, Silver tired to picture himself a few years older. It was easy to imagine being in the now changed Crisis City, looking up at the bright sun as he and Blaze lay on the soft grass of a meadow. He had imagined that before. But he could also picture sitting on that dome-like building where he first met Amy, reminiscing about their adventures together. He could picture a comfortable home with each. With Amy it would be a lovely condo in the middle of a nice city; maybe in that Station Square place he had heard about. With Blaze it could be a nice cottage by a forest next to a river. His mind moved on to see a little white cat showing off fire abilities, or a small red hedgehog practicing levitation…

…This wasn't helping.

"I can see both, honestly. Raising children, a nice home, having fun together," Silver described, trailing off as he noticed Rikku amused expression. "What?"

"Nothing," she said, a smirk gracing her face. "Having kids is just usually not the first thing a guy thinks about."

"It that bad?"

"Not at all. Just something I haven't heard before."

A loud horn sound was set off in the direction of the festivities. Princess Elise's voice could just barely be heard over the commotion, requesting the audience's attention. Rikku turned back to Silver.

"We better head back. I heard the Princess has something really important to announce," she suggested, picking up her air board and hopping onto it. "Sorry I couldn't really help you with your problem."

"That's okay," Silver said. "It was nice to just get it off my chest."

Rikku smiled, and then gestured to him to join her on the board. Silver took one look at it before shaking his head. There was no way he was getting on that thing. Rikku just shrugged, still smiling.

"Your loss," she said, heading off. "Bye Silver!"

"Bye Rikku!" Silver said in farewell. He chuckled to himself as he began heading back to the party. "That was a little weird."

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Silver was able to get to the center with the fountain rather easily, considering that despite the Princess' call for attention plenty of people were still trying to get his autograph. He quickly spotted Rouge flying above the crowd, apparently looking for someone. She spotted him and dove down to meet him.

"The Princess wants to speak with Shadow, Sonic, and you up on the stage," she reported to him. She gave the hedgehog a sly grin. "Need a lift?"

Seeing that he probably wouldn't be able to get there with his powers due to the crowds, Silver nodded his head. He did not expect Rouge to lift him up by his armpits and deposit him rather unceremoniously in front of Elise. Sonic gave a small laugh as Shadow smirked at the boy's clumsiness. Silver stood and tried to act as if nothing happened. Elise chuckled. She had been doing that a lot lately; not that it was a bad thing.

Princess Elise cleared her throat and the three hedgehogs stood at attention. The closest thing to royalty Silver had encountered before coming to Soleanna was Blaze, who was a sort of self-appointed "imperial princess" (under no desire of her own, mind you). Due to this, he wasn't entirely sure how to behave around a true princess, so he simply copied the other two hedgehogs and hoped he was doing it right.

The Princess stood in front of the three, smiling widely. She took in the sight of each one before formally addressing the crowd.

"Ten years ago, my father attempted to find a way to control time and space, to both benefit the people of Soleanna and for his own personal reasons. He, and the other brilliant minds of the time, managed to discover a way to travel through history to correct mistakes we had made. That way, was Solaris."

"But harnessing such power was a mistake within itself, although like many mistakes my father did not know this at the time. There was an accident. I was a child, so I do not remember precisely what went wrong. But it took the lives of some of our brightest minds, including my father."

"I am sure that everyone here at least partly knows what happened next. Solaris split in two, and Iblis was sealed within my own body. It resided inside me for years, until the day when Iblis managed to be released, assisted by none other than its other half, Mephiles."

"I don't need to describe the events that led to our victory. Everyone has either seen it or heard about it from the news. But I will say this. It is because of these events that have taught me that while it is important to remember the past and to worry about the future, what we must focus on is our present…"

Elise gave a smile towards Silver. "Even if our present is in the future."

"And at present, we must celebrate the ones who helped to defeat the Flames of Disaster and its counterparts. Many had given their all, but the three hedgehogs that stand before me were the ones who led us to victory."

Princess Elise turned to one of her guards, who handed her an ornate sword; one that would be more for decoration or ritual rather than battle. She turned around, holding the sword above her head before slowing bringing it back down to her side. She turned first to Silver.

"Kneel, Silver."

Silver looked at Sonic out of the corner of his eye. Seeing the blue hedgehog nod he slowly bent his knee. He watched as Elise placed the sword on one of his shoulders. He flinched at the contact, but was able to keep himself still when she switched it to his other shoulder. What was she doing?

"Now rise, Sir Silver of Crisis City."

After another nod from Sonic, Silver did just that. One of the princess' handmaidens handed him a small golden medal with the symbol of Soleanna on it. The maiden carefully placed it around his neck, where it hung just below his mane. It gave him a sort of strange comfort, as if he was being formally recognized as a champion. (Sonic later explained to him what it meant to be knighted, which just made the white hedgehog that much happier.)

The Princess then turned to Shadow, who kneeled as well, though he was a lot calmer than Silver had been.

"Rise Sir Shadow, Agent of G.U.N."

At last, she stood in front of Sonic. He gave her a large smile before dramatically kneeling. She knighted him as well.

"Rise, Sir Sonic of…"

"Anywhere and everywhere."

Elise giggled at that. "Yes. Anywhere and everywhere."

Sonic and Shadow received their own medals. The three turned around to face the now deafeningly applause of the citizens. The older hedgehogs took a bow, and Silver copied them, still hoping he was following the customs correctly.

When Silver rose, his eyes traveled over the crowd. He caught sight of Rikku, who to his delight was standing next to Tails and giving the hedgehog thumbs up. He then caught sight of both Blaze and Amy. They were only a few feet away from each other, and each seemed to be trying to get his attention while sporadically sending glares to the other girl.

Silver gave out a small sigh. What was he going to do now?

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"Hey! Sir Sleepy Silver of Dreamland!" Silver gave out a groan as Sonic's voice washed over him from his bed in one of the guest chambers of Soleanna Castle. "It's almost noon! Time to head for Eggman's base to use that time machine of his!"

Silver sprang awake at this. He completely forgot! It was expected that he would oversleep; the celebration the previous night had gone on until the wee hours of the morning. And of course if you took into account the fact that Amy and Blaze had each been doing their best to keep Silver away from other, was it really a surprise that he was so tired?

"I'm up! Coming! See you there!"

"I'll wait up!"

Silver acknowledged this as he hastily pulled his boots onto his feet. Making sure that he had his medallion hanging around his neck, he opened the door to see Sonic tapping his foot. The blue hedgehog grinned, which Silver returned.

"Well, Sir Sonic," he said jokingly. "Shall we be off?"

"You're happy this morning, Sir Silver," Sonic replied. "Eager to go home?"

"Well…yes and no," Silver admitted. "Yes, because I want to see how home has improved, and no because I do like it here in Soleanna."

"Same here," said Sonic. "But what I always say is, this isn't really a 'Goodbye.' It's more of an 'Until next time.'"

"You always say that?"

"In a way," Sonic explained. "After all, I thought that last time I saw Blaze would be the last time. You never know. But it was good to get in touch with her again."

"Blaze, yeah," Silver whispered, his dilemma coming back to mind.

"Still on about that?" Sonic asked. "Her or Amy, huh? Or so you think?"

"Yeah," the younger hedgehog responded. "You wouldn't happen to have any advice, would you?"

"Can't say I do. I'm all for bachelorhood, honestly," the other answered. Silver laughed a bit at that. "But I do think that you couldn't go wrong either way."

"I think that's part of my problem," groaned Silver, recalling his conversation with Rikku.

The two hedgehogs met the others in the throne room. Elise had royal matters involving the rebuilding of Soleanna to see to, so sadly she wouldn't be able to see Silver and Blaze off. Silver walked up to her one last time, gave a bow, and thanked her for the medal.

"Think of it as a lucky charm," she said, beaming at her repeat of his own words. Silver smiled and nodded.

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The trip itself to Eggman's base was uneventful.

None of his robots were activated, and Eggman himself had disappeared shortly after the Sonic had dealt the final blow to Solaris. Chances were he was coming up with his next great scheme, but it would probably be a while before he took any action.

The group members discussed mostly what they were planning to do next. Knuckles of course was heading back to Angel Island, Rouge and Shadow were waiting for a new assignment from G.U.N., and Sonic and Tails were talking about perhaps heading home for a small break before heading out for another adventure. Tails had ordered a next book he wanted to read, and strangely enough Sonic seemed to be showing interest in reading it as well.

Silver would have noticed this, if he wasn't constantly being pulled in different directions by two very jealous females. Amy was chattering about how she wanted to show him her favorite places, such as Green Hill and Emerald Coast, while dreaming up romantic nights looking at the sunset. Blaze was describing to him what kinds of new things she would like to try once they returned to Crisis City. She also mentioned the possibility of changing the city's name to something more appropriate.

The whole thing was giving Silver a headache.

And he felt terrible. Sonic said he couldn't go wrong with being with either girl, but at the same time Silver felt he didn't want to hurt the feelings of the one he didn't choose. He had been over the pros and cons of each one for the entire journey, and he was still no closer to an answer.

The group finally reached Eggman's base, and Tails quickly led them all to the room with the time machine. It was still a little beat up from the time that Mephiles had sabotaged it, hoping to stop Sonic and the gang from using it to stop him. However, Tails (being the technological whiz kid that he is) had been able to repair it. The problem was that it really only had enough power for one trip. After that, the circuits would be fried, and the chances of finding replacements were pretty slim, or Tails would have already replaced them.

Tails pressed a few buttons on the control console. The machine hummed to life. All was ready.

"Okay, you and Blaze just need to stand in the center of the circle," Tails explained, pointing to the ring in the center of the room, where a small orb glowed a light blue. "Then I'll activate the travel, and you two will be home in no time flat…if you pardon the expression."

Farewells were exchanged. Sonic, Knuckles, and Shadow all shook Silver's hand, wishing him luck. Rouge gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder and Tails gave him a quick hug. Blaze received similar goodbyes, except when she grudgingly held out her hand for Amy to shake. The pink hedgehog gripped it as tightly as she could, squeezing Blaze's hand until it hurt. The cat responded by sending a little heat through her hand, which would have burnt Amy had she not been wearing gloves. The girls glared at each other before Blaze spun and headed for the time machine ring.

Silver stood in no-man's land, between the time machine and his group of friends seeing him off. He took one look at Blaze, who smiled at him, and then a glance at Amy, who also grinned. So this was it. Time to choose.

However, Silver didn't seem to have a say in any of it, as Blaze took it upon herself to make the decision for him.

"Come on, Silver," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the machine. Silver didn't fight her, glancing behind to Amy, still unsure.

"No!" This yell came with another, smaller hand grabbing his other arm. Amy tugged Silver in the opposite direction, away from Blaze. "Silver! You said you would stay here with me!"

"He's going home with me!" Blaze declared, her voice rising a bit in a way that even Silver had never heard before. She pulled on Silver's right hand a little harder.

"Wrong, Blaze!" Amy argued, pulling back on his left hand. "He's staying!"

"He's going!" Another tug.

"Staying!" And again.

"Going!"

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Rouge hollered above the other girls. Everyone froze and looked at her. "You two are acting like children! Stop it this instant or so help me…if you act like children I will treat you like children, and believe me you don't want that."

Amy and Blaze slackened their tension on Silver, though neither released their hold on his hands. Silver shook his head, amazed that he was actually being fought over.

"Rouge is right. I've never seen either of you act this way before. You two need to calm down," Sonic agreed, holding out his hands between the feuding women to try and be the peacemaker. "You should let Silver make up his own mind, rather than playing tug of war with him."

Silver looked back and forth between the two. On his right, Blaze. On his left, Amy. Time for a final decision, it seemed. Silver looked at the others. All of them had been shocked into silence, leaving him without any nonverbal suggestions whatsoever. He glanced once at Blaze, and then once at Amy. He could still feel the warmth radiating from Amy's hands and the coolness from Blaze's through his gloves.

Silver closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

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A/N: Yeah, so I'm a little evil. Honestly, I'm a fan of both SilverXAmy _and _SilverXBlaze, so I really couldn't make up my mind as to who to pair Silver up with in the end. My requester wasn't picky about it either, so I figured it would be best to leave it ambiguous and let the readers decide for themselves.

And yes, since I have (finally) played the game I have concluded that Silver is a sap who would like to have kids one day. Don't make fun of it! Hahaha!


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